Project Summary The 2016 FASEB Science Research Conference, The Lung Epithelium in Health and Disease, is the 9th biannual conference in this area and the only one of its kind in that it brings together developmental, cell and molecular biologists, geneticists, physiologists, clinicians and translational researchers with a primary interest in lung epithelial biology. Several programmed platform sessions will feature the traditional strengths of this conference, including research on the cellular and genetic basis of lung epithelial lineage specification and differentiation, and the injury responses to a diverse range of diseases including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF) and asthma. Newly programmed sessions cover topics ranging from host-pathogen interactions in lung disease, novel strategies for single cell analysis, lung diseases attributable to cell stress responses, and therapeutic potential of novel small molecules. Five established investigators from outside of the lung epithelial field with complementary interests are included in the program to bring new concepts to the field. The current program has increased the number of women who are programmed for platform talks to ~40% of the total number of speakers (13/33) and also includes five underrepresented minorities. Each platform session will also include two speakers chosen from the pool of submitted abstracts (16 total), with particular emphasis to include outstanding early stage investigators and trainees who will be supported by travel grants as part of this proposal. The pool of abstracts considered for oral presentations also provides a source of presenters to further increase conference participation by women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities. In addition to talks, there are 3 poster sessions programmed thematically to relate to the topics presented in the platform sessions. Two roundtable sessions are programmed to provide professional development opportunities for junior investigators. The atmosphere at the conference site, Vermont Academy, provides a venue where all conference participants socialize together in an informal setting that is conducive to discussion and collaboration. The overall goal of this conference is to provide a forum for leading experts to discuss the molecular and cellular basis of lung disease, to present cutting edge research, to integrate concepts and to identify creative and innovative research directions with high translational potential.